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Symptoms & Sensitivity186 citations

Mobile phone use and subjective symptoms. Comparison of symptoms experienced by users of analogue and digital mobile phones.

No Effects Found

Sandstrom M, Wilen J, Oftedal G, Hansson Mild K · 2001

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Longer mobile phone conversations correlated with more headaches and ear warmth regardless of analog or digital technology.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers compared symptoms between users of older analog phones (NMT) and newer digital phones (GSM) among nearly 17,000 people in Sweden and Norway. Contrary to initial reports suggesting digital phones caused more symptoms, the study found GSM users actually experienced fewer symptoms like ear warmth and headaches. However, people who talked longer on either type of phone reported more symptoms overall.

Study Details

In 1995 many people reported symptoms such as headaches, feelings of discomfort, warmth behind/around or on the ear and difficulties concentrating while using mobile phones. The number of complaints was higher for people using the digital (GSM) system, i.e. with pulse modulated fields, than for those using the analogue (NMT) system. Our main hypothesis was that GSM users experience more symptoms than NMT users.

An epidemiological investigation was initiated including 6379 GSM users and 5613 NMT 900 users in Sw...

The adjusted odds ratio did not indicate any increased risk for symptoms for GSM users compared with...

Cite This Study
Sandstrom M, Wilen J, Oftedal G, Hansson Mild K (2001). Mobile phone use and subjective symptoms. Comparison of symptoms experienced by users of analogue and digital mobile phones. Occup Med (Lond) 51(1):25-35, 2001.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2001_mobile_phone_use_and_3360,
  author = {Sandstrom M and Wilen J and Oftedal G and Hansson Mild K},
  title = {Mobile phone use and subjective symptoms. Comparison of symptoms experienced by users of analogue and digital mobile phones.},
  year = {2001},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11235824/},
}
PubMed: 11235824

Cited By (186 papers)

View all 186 citing papers on Semantic Scholar

Quick Questions About This Study

A large study of nearly 17,000 people found digital GSM phones actually caused fewer symptoms than older analog phones. Users reported less ear warmth and headaches with digital phones, contradicting earlier concerns about newer phone technology causing more health problems.
Research shows analog phones cause more ear warmth than digital phones. A study comparing phone types found digital GSM users experienced significantly less ear warmth, suggesting phone design and heat generation matter more than radiation type for this symptom.
Yes, people who spend more time talking on phones report more symptoms regardless of phone type. A study found longer calling time and more calls per day significantly increased ear warmth, headaches, and fatigue in both analog and digital phone users.
Research suggests GSM digital phones may cause fewer symptoms than older analog phones. A study of 17,000 users found GSM phones produced less ear warmth and showed trends toward fewer headaches and fatigue compared to analog NMT phones.
Ear warmth, headaches, and fatigue increase with longer phone use regardless of phone type. Research found a clear connection between calling time, number of daily calls, and these specific symptoms in both analog and digital phone users across two countries.